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Since becoming natural and deciding consciously this is what I want, I’ve rarely encountered any negativity in the large, diverse city I live in. When I did encounter negative comments from my Nigerian boss who wears weave, I couldn’t even believe it. I learned then, the confidence my hair has bestowed onto me. But it was always a journey and I have learned soo much. Some things work very well for my hair while other products create havoc.

So this is what I have learned, to help other young naturalistas on their journey to healthy, great natural hair:

1. Leave your hair alone, and it will grow. (If you can, twist your hair or put it up in a protective updo and forget about it. Take it down days later, and see stronger, longer hair!)

2. Deep condition on wet hair (Coconut milk and conditioner soften and really moisturize my hair more efficiently when I wet my hair before applying the deep conditioner, as opposed to dry hair…which I did for a year).

3. ALWAYS protect your ends at night–EVERY night. You learn the hard way when you wake up that weeks of soft, moisturized hair goes out the window and you’re left with a tangled, dry ball of hair.

4. Don’t use too much glycerin. A drop of glycerin is probably too much. Actually, that’s probably too much. I once used a solution of 50 glycerin/50 water and my hair suffered for a week. I lost a lot of hair. Not recommended.

5. When possible–use natural ingredients. I recommend buying fresh herbs and boiling them for hair rinses, or keeping them in olive oil for 2 weeks to make an oil (like rosemary oil); and use things lying around your home like: honey, aloe vera gel, apple cider vinegar, eggs, mayonaise, avocado, extra milk jugs (for hair rinses), and various oils. The LESS chemicals in your hair, the better.

6. Don’t obsess over your hair. Don’t count every inch it grows, or cry when a large amount falls in the shower. Just let your hair do it’s thing. If you’re feeding it the right nutrients—it’ll grow!